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Winning bids and contract business is a very competitive process requiring a targeted and scientific approach. This presentation looks at several of the most important scientists who ever lived and draws lessons from their experience that are directly applicable to being successful in winning new contract business. Within this it also looks at the role of different forms of communications within the new business winning process and the role of technology too
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The Laws of physics help win more bids
Hugh Graham, The Bid Coach Ltd
The text boxes on each page are a précis of the spoken words which accompanied the presentation when it was originally delivered. Their purpose here is to provide you with a more comprehensive context for each slide.
Click to edit Master title style Laws of Physics and winning more bids
Winning bids is a scientific process, with rules and regulations to be followed. Winning is also partly a subjective decision, so the challenge is to persuade the client your proposal is “better”. In reality the differences between competitor may be marginal.
Click to edit Master title style Our perception is our reality!
Your clients perception is their reality, so real or otherwise your “better” proposal wins. Always express yourselves in terms that the client most readily understands, to make it easy for them to perceive your offer is the best
Click to edit Master title style Key messages
• Change is inevitable
• Less is more
• Strive to improve
These are the key messages that you should be receiving throughout the course of the presentation. Change has been occurring since the world began, will continue at an ever increasing rate. Scientific formulae contain no spurious info Always room for improvement, and marginal improvements compounded add up to a significant amount
Click to edit Master title style How do they make it look so easy?
How / why are some people able to make communication look so effortless? Bill Clinton is apparently a natural, able to speak on any subject without prep or notes. Steve Jobs rehearsed and checked every detail meticulously, before every major product launch
Click to edit Master title style Communication
What is the basic purpose of communication? To allow every form of life on earth to survive and pass its genes on to future generations
Click to edit Master title style Communication
Different tactics used by every life form, to ensure they attract a mate – colour, size, smell etc. Some forms of life took communication further as they live in social groups, so communication was critical for sake of good order Human beings introduced technology. Relative to the earth we have been around no time at all and relatively our use of technology is the blink of an eye. Our brains are still tuned to the caveman level of fight or flight and this has an impact on our ability to communicate. Face to face is the most effective form of communication
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Evolution of human communication
50,00 years of communications, from cave art and grunting, to modern day, when we now back to grunting again (a reference to how teenagers communicate – with grunts and thumbs only). Never had so much technology available and yet never was face to face more important
Click to edit Master title style What is Physics?
“the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of
matter & energy”
Oxford English Dictionary
Modern physics (science) developed in 15th century, by the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, based on ancient traditions developed in Classical Greece and the Far East
Click to edit Master title style Energy - Thermodynamics
“energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another. The total
amount of energy in a closed system never changes”
The business, the team and individuals only have so much energy to give. Need to accept this and that if they are to put the right level of input to any bid then some other priorities may have to be sacrificed, or they are seconded across to the bid team for the duration
Click to edit Master title style Energy - Hooke’s Law
Key: F = force X = distance K = stiffness
If stretched too far spring fails and then breaks. Same with people so need to endure they not too stressed and allowed to rest if you are to get the best out of them
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“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”
Isaac Newton
The Laws of Motion - Newton
This is Newton's third law of motion. Question – how much do you consider other peoples reaction to your communications before you put them out. Do you anticipate their reaction and phrase the communications to elicit the reaction that you want? If you don’t then you should! Moral – always view the world from your clients perspective.
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“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”
Isaac Newton
Stay focused on what is realistic
Newton was a brilliant scientist, but allowed himself to be distracted by alchemy. When he was doing this other scientists stepped into his position as foremost scientist. Moral, focus on what you can realistically achieve and beware of other trying to take your place of pre-eminence, if you lose focus
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“The volume of a given mass of an ideal gas is directly
proportional to its temperature on the absolute temperature scale (kelvin) if pressure and the amount of
gas remain constant”
Combined Gas Laws (Charles’s Law)
Key: V = Volume T = Temperature
Don’t fill your bids, or other communications with lots of hot air – it detracts from the key messages that you have
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“The absolute pressure exerted by a given mass of an ideal gas is
inversely proportional to the volume it occupies if the
temperature and amount of gas remain unchanged within a
closed system”
Combined Gas Laws (Boyles)
PV = K Key: P = Pressure V = Volume of the gas K = Constant
As per previous slide, plus make sure you use the right language and words to be readily understood by the client – avoid jargon and company phraseology. Consider all words carefully as once given they cannot be retracted
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Seed must first be invested in if it is to make
the oak tree.
The Law of Compensation
You reap what you sow, and so need to invest in developing relationships with key clients all the time, not just when they have significant projects coming along. Process may take a long time, but will be worth it in the end. Always be ready to challenge the situation with clients that you already know – to make sure nothing has changed.
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“time is not a constant – it slows down the
faster you travel and is also slowed by gravity”
Albert Einstein
Theories of Relativity
When completing bids and tenders things often back-loaded. This leads to extra pressure, so better to set realistic timetable and stick to it – refer back to laws of energy, thermodynamics and pressure
Click to edit Master title style Nothing is what it seems
“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked
you, you haven’t understood it yet”
Neils Bohr
Visuals are of rock (top) and light (below). Reality depends upon your frame of reference. Science challenge the accepted norms – i.e. rock was solid and proved it was more “space” than solid. Moral is that things can be completely counter-intuitive to what we believe
Click to edit Master title style We see things as we are…
“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked
you, you haven’t understood it yet”
Neils Bohr
How do you see yourself, and same question for how your clients see themselves. Remember their perception is their reality. Would you be shocked if you understood their perception / reality?
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“It is not the strongest of the species, but the most adaptable which survive”
Charles Darwin
The Principles of Evolution
How adaptable is your business? Is it able to recognise that even a seemingly unassailable position can be caught almost over-night. Need to continuously strive to improve and anticipate your clients changing needs.
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“It is not the strongest of the species, but the most adaptable which survive”
Charles Darwin
Who could take your place?
Who might be about to take your place at the top table?
Click to edit Master title style Interpret customers needs!
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster
horses”
Henry Ford
Customers are often not able to accurately verbalise their real needs, so it is critical to not necessarily take them at face value, but to look for ingenious ways of providing solutions for them
Click to edit Master title style In summary…
Change is inevitable
Less is more
Strive to improve
Winning bids is a matter of following the basic rules of engagement, but also of challenging accepted norms. Accept change will happen and live with it Ensure your proposals are lean and communicate only what I necessary, and from the clients perspective Continually strive to improve you understanding, and your solutions. Marginal improvements cumulatively make a significant difference. There are no short-cuts to success – and it is not an admission of failure to seek external resource to help
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Set clear objectives
Take great care
Focus
Your actions!
Make sure you know what you want to achieve and make sure you set everything up to make this happen – seeing the world from the clients perspective Make sure all aspects of your communication are checked, a they cannot be withdrawn once sent. Focus on trying to get what you can realistically win, deliver and develop
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www.thebidcoach.com
Office: 01963 240555
uk.linkedin.com/in/hughgrahamthebidcoach
Questions?
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“The single biggest problem in
communication is the illusion that it has
taken place””
George Bernard Shaw
